Review: Sketchy Theatre w/ Norris and Parker, The Kings Arms, Salford
Pictured: Norris and Parker
The problem with a comedy event in a pub at the tail end of a sunny bank holiday is that everyone is, if not only slightly hazy, pissed out of their minds. Opening act Norris and Parker found that out tonight when a man burst out of his chair – and the room – with vomit pouring down his tracksuit. It wasn’t even an ironic parody of their act. Ah the north.
Previewing material from their upcoming Fringe show All Our Friends Are Dead, local ladies Kate Norris and Sinead Parker fill their stage time with a selection of surreal sketches. Their witty adaptations of popular songs are performed fearlessly, and it appears the more surreal they go – and the further away from quiche throwing – the better they get.
Much of the humour is regional, but the way they present it, even at this early stage, allows it to make a clear translation, and their variety of oddball characters are captivating for sure. A pair of talented writers and performers, give them a little time and they’ll become one slick team to keep an eye on.
As with any sketch show there’s going to be some that are well, erm, a little sketchy, and as was the case for Norris and Parker, so too it goes for Sketchy Theatre. The trio consisting of Ilaria Passeri (so many funny ladies tonight), Ciaran Mullins and Dave Wake, while not vomit inducing, do get some big laughs from the small crowd gathered here at The Kings Arms tonight.
While specific sketches, such as the opening gambit which sees Mullins and Passeri play bickering children’s TV presenters, show originality and great timing in their symmetry, for me the biggest problem with the group was their chemistry.
Passeri is easily the liveliest member of the group with her deadpan voice and accentuated features moulding themselves to each character she inhibits while still remaining deeply her. The Reece Shearsmith-like Dave Wake was absent for large portions of the show however he proved himself each time he appeared, and was responsible for the funniest sketch of the night in which he played a waiter commentating on a date. Perhaps the most versatile member of the troupe, Mullins, left me more confused than anything. Never seeming to go too far outside his comfort zone, there’s always the danger that the audience won’t either.
Sketchy Theatre live up to their name being both perfectly theatrical and a little sketchy. It might not be groundbreaking, but they’re more deserving of your laughter than a lot of stuff out there.
Date of live review: Monday 6 May 2013
